Truck-body construction.



G. A. WOOD.

TRUCK BODY CONSTRUCTIQN. APPLICATION FILED JAN.5.1918.

Patented Jan. 21, 1919.

, citizen of the United UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GARFIELD A. WOOD, 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

rnncK-BonY CONSTRUCTION.

Application filed January 5,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GARFIELD A. Woon, a States, and residing at Detroit, in the county of,Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented a new and Improved Truck-Body Construction, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to truck, bodies, more particularly to the type of body which is tiltablc about a transverse horizontal axis near its rear end and in which the latter is closed by a door that, is swingable about a horizontal axis near its upper edge. It is, however, applicable to car bodies and other tilting hoppers.

The object of the invention is to provide a strong neat appearing body from which the material is rapidlyand eompletelydischarged at the rear as the front end is lifted, and to which a standard door construction is applicable regardless of considerable variation in the depth. The invention will be inore fully understood from a consideration of the fo lowing description of a preferred embodiment, and from the attached claims wherein the novel features are more definitely pointed out.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is tary side view of the rear end of a truck showing a preferred embodiment of the invention. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the body. Fig. 3 is a central longitudinalvertical section corresponding to Fig. 1, the body being in elevated position and the door being open. Figs. 4c and 5 are sections on the lines H and'55, respectively, of Fig, 1.

The side bars 1 of .the body are swingable about horizontal pivots 2 that are mounted in brackets 3- in the usual way. it being understood that the brackets in turn are secured to the rear end portion of the chassis frame 3 Extending across the side bars at intervals are the cross bars 4 whereon the hopper 5' rests and to which it is riveted or otherwise secured. In order to insure a properdischarge of bulk material," say coal or earth, therefrom. it is preferred to cona fragmenstruct the mam portion of the body of what either is, or .is 1n effect, a metal; that 1s, if any seam arranged longitudinally of single sheet of is present it' s the body'so a..-

, not to interfere with the free flow of materialtoward the rear.

- It is desirable to merge the sides into the bottom gradually, as shown at 6, so that no sharp corners exist wherein the material Specification of Letters Patent.

shown at 10, to do and determined principally,

'tical plane of the responding line 13 the strap or gusset plate Patented Jan. 21, 1919.

1918. Serial No. 210,416.

may become lodged. This general construetion is well-known.

Were the sides simply extended upwardly each in a. single vertical plane, the construction would be relatively weak; and in order to strengthen the hopper against bulging, as well tlSflfOll' the purpose of materially increasing the capacity, particularly with reference to top load, the upper portions of the metal of the sides are inclined outwardly at 8, then bent inwardly to form horizontal webs S) and finally turned downwardly, as away with the sharp edges that might otherwise cut into bags of cement or the like, and to give strength against bending.

The side construction continued fully to the greatly complicate the construction of ing; again. the capacities. the

just described, if rear end. would the problems incident to the door and 1ts mountchange being brought about by yarying' the height of the sides; it is also desirable to secure a rapid and free (118- bodies are made in different if not wholly,-

charge of the material therefrom in the smaller bodies. as well as in the largest sizes, which could not be obtained if the door were mounted to swing about an axis at substantially the upper level of the sides. To meet these several conditions and to render.the door itself standard. that is. the

same for the several different sizes of bodies. each flange. 9-40 isnotched and trimmed and thereafter bent inwardly together with the corresponding part 12 of the inclined element 8) until the edges of the notch meet along the line 13 whereupon the trimmed end 14 of the flanges coincides with the vercorresponding I'nain por tion of the side. 12, the metal stands in the plane of the main portion of the side and is continued upwardly. as indicated at 15, (preferably by means of a separate plate welded to the main portion of the correspondingside along the line 15'. or riveted to said main portion) to a level considerably above the flanges 9. The plate 15 may be omit-ted. Those portions of each flange 9 on opposite sides of the.cor-

are finally connected by 16. Then by rivetmg or welding around the extreme rear endthe reinforcing bar 17, preferably-of angle cross-section. and by continuin it upwardly to the top of the portion or plate 15, there cross bolt,

' the body is tilted by v. terminatesin a downturned the edge of the body metal 5' is afforded a stron heat construction the ends of whic may bejo'ined by-the 18.11pm which the door is hung by means of its straps 19. The metal of the body is slitted at 26 opposite the bar 17 to pressed smooth a upper allow it tobe bar, during which operation the slit assumes the form of all as shown in Fi 3. en any suita 1e hoisting mechanism 1(not shown) and the door is pet free, the latter swings out into the position indicated in Fig. 3 and provides a large opening through which the material may freely fiow. By making the upstanding portion the same height in all cases, it is evi entthat a door suitable for one size of body is equally well adapted to another.

The construction of the door may vary; preferably, however, it comprises a sheet metal plate 20 the upper edge of which 15 turned inwardly at 21 over the bolt 1$-and This plate may be reinforced by the fiat U- shapedba'r 23 conforming substantially to and arrange and may have riveted or -welded thereto a striker bar 24 with which the latch 25. (preferably that disclosed in my U. S. Patent No. 1223462. granted April 24, 1917 )1 cooperates.

' The details of construction may be varied to some extent withoutfldeparting from the spirit of my invention, and Ido not, therehe bar 17 fore, wish to be limited otherwise than as indicated by the subjoined claims. I claim 1. In a hopper pivoted te swing about a horizontal axis near one end thereof, a trough shaped sheet metal body portion having an open end and having the upper edges of its sides inclined outwardly from points yond the level slightly portion open end respectively,

substantially in the plane of the corresponding side and considerably be-f of the upper edge of theucor responding inclined portion of the side, means for reinforcing the edge of the sheet metal at said open end to substantially the full height of said upwardly extending porwardly' at tions, and a door mounted to swing outwardly about a horizontal axis passing through the upper ends of said reinforbing means. 2

2. A truck'body comprising finally turned inwardlyto form longitudinal stifi'emng webs, said webs being notche' ends, and the extreme rear end. portions of the webs being the notches at an angle to the remainder thereof. the trough extending upwardly at thercar ends to the corresponding side zontal cross-bolt joining the upper ends ofgainst the beyond the level ofthe webs, I D

around the outside of being inclined downwardly and ,f

- conl'iecting mom forward of the open end. the bodybeing extended upwardly at the in the form of metal sheets loc'ated.

h a sheet motel trough having an open'rear end and having. its side portions flaring outwardly and d horizontal plane and bent inagainst sagging. beyond the level of:

masses.

the flanges in the form of plates each portion, a hensaid plates, and a door hun on the crossbolt and arranged to close t e open end of the trough.

3. A tiltable truck body comprising a sheet metal bottom and sheet metal sides, the

latter flaring outwardly from points slightly forward of their rear ends,1sa1d fiaringpon' tions merging into inturned stiiiening webs, the metal of the sidesbeing continued upwardly rearwardly of theflaring portions a reinforcing bar passing entirely the body at the rear end and stiffening'smd upwardly extending portions, a cross member connectinglthe upper ends vof the reinforcing her, and a door hung on the crossbarand adapted to swing in respect; thereto.

4. Atilta le hopper having, sheet-T'metal sides the upper portionsofwhich are in clined outwardly throughout the greater part of their length and provided withinwardly bent substantially horizontal stilfening webs, the extreme-rear ends of the sides extending upwardly considerably beyond the level of the-corre's' onding web, thefront edges of theupwardly extending portions orwardly wardly inclined side portions medium ofsubstantially triangular portions inclined to both longitud transverse vrrticalplanes of the hopper, a

bejr extending; across betendingportions, and a swingable door supported on said connecting membcr and arranged to close. the end of the hopper.

5. A truck body having a side formed of sheet metal, said an upper portion inclined .outwardlytherefrom at a considerable angle,-

a webgexten' mg inwardly from: the

staii'tially J ina. horizontaligil ane'an s rving to renam said ineling bulging, land a 'rib ,extendin downwardly from the webiata the linnefr e thereof to 'idsrib ,d in'' a planeoutside;

I Eofthe main portion of-the' side.

A truck "body having. a side formed of asingleslieet of metal including amai'npor- 1 tion arrangedsubstantially in a; vertical plane; upper portion inclined outwardly therefromQa web arranged substantially in a reinforcing said in,- clined portion against bulging, and, a rib extending down from the web at theinner edge thereof and reinforcing the latter 7. In a vehicle body, a side construction e e, upper ,ede; f said inclined portion and snag ad' portion: agali st Y 'andflmerging m'totlnecorresponding outs v through the ina-l vertical and v tween the upper ondg'oiithe upwardlyexn side hav'ing amain portion arranged substantially in a vertical-plane,

- including a sheet of metal haying a main portion bent'fro'm the web each side considerabh portionarranged substantially in a vertical plane, an upper portion inclined outwardly therefrom, a web arranged substantially in a horizontal plane and reinforcing said in clined portion against bulging, and another along its inner edge to reinforce the web loads, the web being notched transversely and bent inwardly together with a continua tion of the inclined portion near the rear end to merge substantiallyinto the above mentioned vertical plane. 8. A vehicle body comprising side constructions having upper portions flaring outwardly and-upwar y away from one another for the greater portion of their length, said upper ,portions being bent gradually back substantially into the plane of the rest of the correspondin side construction near the rear end thereof a reinforcing bar conforming to the outside of the extreme rear end of the body and extending upwardly at beyond the upper edge of the corresponding side construction, and a door supported on the upper ends of said bar to swing. about a horizontal axis to close the rear end of the body.

.9. A vehicle body comprising side constructions having upper-portions flaring'outward yand upwardly away from one an.- other for the greater portion of their length. said upper portions being bent gradually 'back substantially into the plane of the rest of the correspon ing side construction near the rear end thereof, a single reinforcing bar embracing both sides of the body at the extreme rear end thereof, and a door supported by said bar to swingabout a horizontal 40 axis considerably above the upper edge of against vertical .the correspondin side construction to close portion arranged substantially in a vertical plane, an upper portion inclined outwardly therefrom, a web arranged substantially in a horizontal plane and reinforcing said inclined portion against bulging, the web being' notched transversely and bent inwardly together with a continuation of the inclined portion near the rear end to merge substantially into the above mentioned vertical plane.

11. In a vehicle body, aside construction including a sheet of metal having a main portion arranged substantially in a vertical plane, an upper portion inclined outwardly therefrom, the inetal'extending inwardly considerably from the upper edge of said upper portion'to form a reinforce for the latter, said reinforce being notched transversely and bent inwardly together with a continuation of the inclined portion near the sheet metal bottom and sheet metal sides, the

latter flaring outwardly from points slightly forward of their rear ends, said flaring por tions merging into inturned stiffening webs, the metal of the sides being continued upwardly rearwardly of the flaring portions beyond the level of the webs, a reinforcing bar passing entirely around the outside of the body at the rear end and stifi'ening said upwardly extending portions, and a cross member connecting the upper ends of the reinforcing bar. GARFIELD A. WOOD... 

